Then she removed her hat completely, revealing her face…
Bruce's expression shifted from anger to shock so completely that he couldn't move, his voice caught in his throat:
"…Bella?!"
"Bella Leclair, owner of Velora Companies."
She smiled at him, a mocking smile.
While he was thinking that this must be the same Bella he knew before-the sweet, kind young woman, owner of Velora Companies-she now stood before him with an imposing presence, piercing eyes, a calm smile, and an aura of authority that radiated from her.
Mr. Bruce was so stunned that he couldn't move, his voice trapped in his throat:
"…Bella?!"
Astonishment, shock, and confusion overwhelmed him all at once. How could the kind, beautiful young lady he knew, with her gentle heart, be behind all these conspiracies and psychological games? How could she be The Nébuleuse, head of the Gray Justice Organization?
He stood there, speechless, watching her, while the fog around them made the confrontation feel like a scene from a mysterious film-truth unbelievable, the game only just beginning…
Mr. Bruce slowly shook his head, stepping back, then another step.
His eyes remained fixed on her, but his mind refused to accept what he saw.
"No… this is impossible."
He let out a short, tense laugh, as if trying to convince himself more than her.
"You're not Bella… this is a trick, cheap acting, someone just pretending to be you."
Bella exhaled in impatience.
Her eyes rolled in obvious boredom; the simple gesture alone was enough to shatter the rest of his denial.
She lifted her shoulder lightly, then said in a calm but mocking tone:
"Believe me, if someone were pretending to be me, I would have tried much less to convince you."
She stepped forward.
The fog parted slightly around her, light reflecting on the jewels in her gloves, blue and red, like two eyes watching him.
"I am Bella. No copy. No mask."
Bruce swallowed hard.
His heart began to pound violently-not just with fear… but with a heavier feeling: exposure.
He raised his voice, a mix of anger and confusion:
"Then tell me… how did you know all this? And why? Why did you do all this to me?!"
Bella smiled, a cold smile-not cruel, but calculated.
She twirled her cane slowly between her fingers, her voice flowing as if telling a story whose ending she already knew.
"From the day I saw you together."
She paused, lifting her head slightly, as if recalling the past.
"You… and Julian."
She began to walk around him in a half-circle, her steps calm, measured, while he remained frozen, like prey encircled by truth.
"Something was wrong. Not obvious, but my intuition never lies."
She lifted a finger lightly, pointing to an invisible idea:
"The way you stood, the glances, the silences between words… innocent people don't act like that."
She stopped directly behind him.
She didn't touch him, but her presence was enough to send shivers down his spine.
"I started following you."
Bruce spun around suddenly, but she had already stepped away, standing before him again.
"Photos. Reports. Names."
She said it while moving her hand as if flipping through invisible pages.
"Everything sent to headquarters. Your identities, your past, your connections… even the details you thought were buried."
Bruce's eyes widened.
He felt the walls closing in, the air growing heavier.
He whispered, barely audible:
"Impossible…"
Bella tilted her head slightly.
"It took only days."
Then she continued, her tone calmer… more dangerous:
"And on the night of the opera party."
Bruce's expression changed.
His memory violently dragged him back to that night.
"I was walking in the corridors. Coincidence? Maybe."
She smiled lightly, not innocently.
"But I heard you."
She stopped moving.
Her voice deepened.
"Your conversation wasn't that of two ordinary men."
She looked directly into his eyes:
"Then… I understood."
Bruce struggled to breathe.
Cold sweat ran down his forehead.
He felt every layer he had hidden behind being stripped away, one by one.
"It had to end."
She said it with harsh simplicity.
Then she added, without emotion:
"But things got out of control."
She lowered her gaze for a moment.
"Mr. Smith's death."
Bruce shuddered involuntarily.
He felt a sting in his chest-not regret… but fear that his name would be spoken aloud.
"And this isn't the first time you've done it."
He lifted his head quickly:
"No-!"
She interrupted him decisively:
"But it was the first time the body wasn't hidden."
She paused for a moment.
"Because you weren't used to chaos."
Then she raised her gaze again:
"As for your talk about the time machine…"
She laughed, a short mocking laugh.
"Nonexistent."
Her words hit him like a slap.
"And even if it existed…"
She stepped closer.
"…the idea of harming the king and queen's children?"
Her tone turned completely cold:
"Unacceptable. Neither ethical nor logical."
Bruce stood stunned.
The precision, the confidence, the sheer knowledge…
He felt he wasn't a player in this game but a piece on a chessboard.
His chest rose and fell rapidly.
His thoughts tangled, his head buzzing.
Everything he thought was secret… was known.
He slowly raised his eyes to her.
And at that moment, he realized the most terrifying truth:
He had never controlled the events from the start.
She had.
Always… her.
Silence fell.
Not a silence of challenge… but the silence of a man broken, unsure which part of him had shattered first.
Mr. Bruce stood stiffly, shoulders rigid, eyes fixed on the ground as if looking at her face had become unbearable.
Seconds passed before he lifted his head slightly, not looking at her directly, but at the space near her.
He asked softly, wearily, as if the words were being pulled from his chest:
"Why… are you doing all this to me?"
She did not answer immediately.
Bella tilted her head slowly, placed the tip of her cane on the ground, and leaned all her weight on it with elegant composure.
There was something final in her stance… as if this question had been asked and answered long ago.
She said simply, devoid of emotion:
"Because my organization seeks peace."
She finally lifted her eyes to him.
"And peace… cannot be built while the wicked exist."
She stepped forward.
The sound of her heels clicking on the wet ground echoed in his mind more than in the space.
"And you… and Julian… are corrupt."
She said it without hesitation.
Without justification.
As a fact needing no debate.
"Your existence was an obstacle."
Then she added, in an even colder calm:
"And so you had to be destroyed."
Bruce's eyes widened slightly.
The word destroy hung in his ears, echoing, repeating itself, as if his mind refused to process it.
But she did not stop.
She slowly raised her right hand, the white glove gleaming, the blue jewel reflecting faint light.
She spoke in a lower, deeper voice:
"And there is one more thing."
She lowered her hand slightly, as if carrying an invisible weight.
"The ghosts."
His body trembled.
"Those… you and Julian killed."
Her tone did not change, but the words were heavier.
"Innocent."
She paused briefly.
"They do not leave."
Bruce lifted his head suddenly, eyes trembling.
"What… do you mean?"
She stepped closer.
Now there were only two steps between them.
"They seek revenge."
She said it, pointing to her chest with one finger.
"Through me."
Then she added, for the first time in a sincere tone:
"And this… does not let me rest."
Then he noticed.
Her eyes.
They were not ordinary blue.
They were… alive.
Like a living nebula, glowing blue, without warmth, without mercy.
Not noisy evil… but cosmic cold that does not care who it crushes on its way.
A violent shiver ran through Bruce.
He stepped back involuntarily.
He whispered:
"Why… did you manipulate me like this then?"
Bella stopped.
Then she smiled.
Not a kind smile.
But the smile of someone who knew she had won from the start.
She raised two fingers.
"Two reasons."
She lowered the first finger:
"The first, most important reason: to dismantle you."
She spoke as she moved her hand slowly, like someone delicately taking apart a watch.
"If I confronted you directly… you wouldn't have broken."
"I wanted you to separate. To doubt each other. To collapse from within."
Then she tilted her head slightly.
"Not to lift a gun and pull the trigger, leaving it for later to find the real killer."
She raised her second finger.
Her smile widened… in a strange, unsettling way.
"And the second reason?"
She paused for a moment. Then said:
"It was… fun."
It felt as though the air had been sucked from his chest.
Exhaustion…
Heavy…
Overwhelming…
He suddenly realized the most painful truth: Julian had died for no real reason.
His knees could no longer support him.
He sank slowly to the ground, as if his body finally surrendered to what his mind had resisted for so long.
His breaths came in short gasps.
His head hung low.
His hands trembled.
And Bella…
She looked at him with absolute coldness.
No pity.
No triumphant glee.
Only logical finality.
He lifted his head with difficulty, his voice broken:
"So… why did you pretend to care?"
"When I was… at my worst?"
She looked at him longer than before.
Then she raised a shoulder lightly, as if the question were trivial.
"Because I'm good at acting."
She bent slightly, bringing her eyes level with his.
"And don't forget…"
She smiled confidently, coldly:
"That I've won numerous international awards for acting."
Then she straightened.
"It wasn't difficult."
Bruce closed his eyes.
And in that moment…
He no longer felt fear.
Nor anger.
Only complete emptiness.
A brief silence followed.
Not the silence of waiting…
But the silence of the end.
The fog that had wrapped around the columns and trees began to fade slowly, as if it had never been there, as if the place had finally decided to reveal itself without masks.
The air became clearer, heavier, more tangible… and this made it even more terrifying.
Bruce was still on the ground, his body bent, shoulders slumped, as if the weight of the entire world rested upon them.
His breaths were uneven, his hands trembling uncontrollably.
Bella…
She looked at nothing.
Not at Bruce.
Not at the surroundings.
But at some distant point, nonexistent.
Then… she smiled.
A small, calm smile, completely devoid of life.
She called his name:
"Bruce."
He raised his head with difficulty, looking at her with exhausted, swollen eyes, no longer shining, dull and melancholic, as if the light had been drained, leaving only a sorrowful void.
She spoke quietly:
"Do you remember a little girl…"
She paused for a moment, then added:
"Named Suzy Frank?"
He froze.
His mind struggled to grasp the name… but the memory was buried deep, in a place only force could open.
"What…?"
His voice emerged, confused:
"I… I don't understand…"
Bella understood his panic without him looking at her.
She slowly raised her hand…
And pointed to where she had been staring all along.
"Look."
Bruce turned.
And the moment his eyes fell upon it…
They widened involuntarily.
A girl.
Small… no older than eight.
Her hair was blonde-brown, tied into two small neat pigtails.
She wore simple clothes appropriate for her age.
She stood quietly… smiling.
A bright, innocent smile.
A child's smile, unacquainted with cruelty.
Time stopped in his mind.
The memory exploded all at once.
"Y… yes…"
He said it unconsciously, in a hoarse voice.
"I… know her…"
Bella smiled further.
But this time… her smile was not kind.
"This is how it was."
She spoke neutrally.
"But tell me, Bruce…"
Finally, she looked at him.
"How does she look now?"
He shook his head slowly.
"I… don't know…"
But Bella did not wait.
She raised her hand,
snapped her fingers.
One sound.
And in the next moment… everything changed.
The girl did not disappear…
She was deformed.
The smile vanished.
The brightness was extinguished.
Her face became rigid, expressionless, her eyes empty, black, like endless pits.
Her movements were unnatural… slow, stuttering, as if her body defied human laws.
Bruce screamed.
A real scream, coming from some primal place within him.
He began dragging himself backward on the ground, his breath racing, his heart nearly bursting from his chest.
"Take her away!"
"Get this thing away from me!"
"Please!"
The girl… or what she had become…
Began advancing.
One step.
Then another.
No sound. No haste.
Only an inevitable approach.
Bruce looked at Bella, eyes full of terror.
"Stop!"
"Enough!"
But Bella…
She looked at him with an entirely different expression.
Not pure cruelty.
Nor true pity.
But a strange mix…
Pity laced with disdain.
She spoke quietly, as if stating a simple truth:
"Do not fear."
Then added, in a low tone:
"You made her like this."
She paused.
"And you will be the one who remembers."
Silence enveloped the place.
Except for Bruce's trembling breaths…
And the shadow of a memory that had not died.
Black fog began seeping from the deformed girl's body, not ordinary smoke, but a living weight, as if carrying suffocated breaths.
Faces formed within it…
Distorted faces, empty, eerily familiar.
Eyes staring at Bruce.
Silent hatred.
Long waiting.
Bruce's complexion paled further; his body could no longer tremble, as if the terror had settled inside him and no movement was needed.
His eyes widened, breaths cut off, tears streaming without permission, unconsciously.
Bella approached.
She bent, one knee on the ground, between him and those spirits.
She did not try to expel them.
Did not command them.
She simply faced them steadily… then glanced at him from the corner of her eye.
She spoke in a low, calm voice, lethal in its calmness:
"You did this to them."
She paused for a moment, then continued:
"If you hadn't killed them for trivial reasons… for your own interests… for your whims… they wouldn't be here."
The spirits stepped closer.
"They do not want revenge."
"They want justice."
Bruce muttered, his voice broken:
"I didn't mean to…"
"I didn't want to…"
"I swear… I swear…"
He repeated it over and over, like a lost child, like a man broken inside.
He wasn't addressing them…
He was speaking to himself.
Bella smiled faintly.
She saw madness seep into his eyes.
Hallucinations.
Collapse.
Emptiness.
She stood, partially blocking the scene behind her.
She drew a sleek white gun, golden engravings glinting unnaturally.
She looked at him.
"Either this continues…"
"…or their vision ends here."
She raised the gun slightly.
"Think carefully."
He did not answer.
He looked behind her, as if the spirits were still too close.
Then…
He lifted his eyes to her.
His voice weak, resigned:
"Please…
- Finish this."
She said nothing.
She only smiled.
A cold, sideways, final smile.
She raised the gun in front of him, and then… only the sound of a single shot rang out in the Bosquet de la Colonnade.
Later – Bosquet de la Colonnade
Later that night…
Mr. Bruce was found alone, dead-or rather, it was more accurately a suicide-at the scene.
No witnesses.
No fog.
No trace of those entities.
The official report said only one thing:
The end was the result of his actions.
A note was found…
Showing that the gun used to kill Julian bore Bruce's fingerprints, while he admitted to killing Smith for personal reasons he did not disclose, keeping them secret.
The note was in Bruce's handwriting.
Or perhaps it had not been written by him at all.
The handwriting was shaky, distorted.
As if whoever wrote it saw something others could not.
The case was closed.
The names are buried.
And the truth… remained with only one person.
A woman with nebula-like eyes…
Who forgets nothing.
And forgives nothing.
•••
The Next Morning:
The Palace of Versailles woke to a farewell both noisy and disciplined at the same time.
The nobles were finally preparing to leave, each returning to their palace, their luxury apartment, their life-which would appear, outwardly, just as normal as before.
Behind the palace walls, a massive crowd of journalists gathered.
Cameras were raised, microphones extended, live broadcasts unceasing.
Questions were thrown into the air, but no answers came.
Versailles remained silent… and its silence was harsher than any statement.
Inside, the staff worked with military precision:
Luggage was transported, names were called, cars waited in perfect order for their owners.
The nobles bid each other farewell with calculated smiles and polished, warm words,
and no one-no one-spoke of what had actually happened.
The killings remained a heavy secret, buried before it was even born, destined to remain so forever.
Bella stood near one of the inner balconies, embracing Queen Elaine in a long farewell hug.
The Queen smiled sincerely:
"Don't stay away from us for too long."
Bella replied lightly, smiling:
"I'll try, Your Majesty… but work is unforgiving."
The Queen laughed, and Bella laughed along with her.
A warm laugh, giving away nothing.
They parted ways, each moving to bid farewell to someone else.
Bella approached Amélie, who was waving to some distant noblewomen, her conversation seemingly ordinary to any onlooker.
But when Bella came close enough, Amélie spoke in a calm tone, without looking directly at her:
"So, the killing mission-Julian and Bruce… is over. Exactly as planned."
Bella waved to someone in the distance and smiled:
"Honestly? I deserve an award for the amount of terror I caused."
Amélie chuckled lightly, then added, as if recalling a minor detail:
"By the way… why was Lucian brought to Odette's palace unconscious?"
Bella's smile paused for a moment.
She turned to her, eyebrows furrowed.
"Unconscious?"
Amélie answered simply:
"Cassandra called me and told me."
Bella slapped her forehead with her palm, letting out a short, exasperated sigh:
"I swear, the three of them don't understand the meaning of 'respect.' I warned them about violence."
Then she added, her tone darker:
"Henry, in particular… I'll teach him a lesson in manners when I return."
Amélie laughed, sarcastic:
"Your upbringing is too kind to them."
Bella sighed indifferently:
"The flaw of leaders… they raise their monsters to show mercy."
Before she could add more,
she heard a voice she knew well.
"Bella!"
She turned immediately.
Jax was running toward her with small, hesitant steps.
Bella bent down without thinking, opening her arms.
He rushed into her embrace, holding on tightly as if afraid she would vanish.
She wrapped her arms around him, running her hand gently through his hair.
At first, his face was lit with joy…
Then, little by little, his expression changed.
His smile faded, his eyes lowered, his shoulders slumped.
He whispered softly, brokenly:
"…Are we leaving now?"
Bella held him tighter.
She didn't answer immediately.
She knew…
that some farewells cannot be spoken,
and that this morning-despite the light-was heavier than it seemed.
Jax hugged her tighter, as if his small arms were trying to hold onto the moment before it slipped away.
Bella gently lifted his chin, leaning down until they were eye-level, her smile warm… but with a trace of hidden pain.
He spoke softly, hesitantly:
"Bella… right? After today… I won't stay with you anymore."
She didn't answer immediately.
She slowly ran her thumb across his cheek, maternal, effortless.
"And who told you that?"
He shook his head and said:
"Everyone is leaving… each to their own home. And I…"
He paused, swallowed, then continued:
"And I won't see you anymore."
Bella took a deep breath, then smiled that confident smile that made the world seem less cruel.
She said quietly:
"Listen to me carefully, Jax. Even if we are apart, even if time stretches… I promise you something."
He looked up quickly:
"A promise?"
"A promise."
She said it clearly, then added:
"I will visit you. Every day if I can, without fail."
His eyes widened in surprise:
"Every day?"
She laughed lightly:
"Almost every day."
Then she leaned toward him and whispered, as if sharing a secret:
"Also, I've become friends with your mother, which gives me an official reason."
He hesitated a little… then smiled.
A small, shy, but sincere smile.
"Mom…"
He paused, then spoke with the honesty of a child who doesn't know how to disguise himself:
"My mom… doesn't hug me much. She always says I have to be strong. And my dad too."
Bella's eyes shone, but she kept composed.
She placed her hands on his shoulders, speaking in a firm, warm tone:
"Strength doesn't mean you are deprived of hugs. Sometimes, strength means being allowed to be a child."
Jax stepped forward, resting his forehead against her chest:
"With you… I feel like a real child."
She closed her eyes for a moment, tightening her arms around him:
"And that is your right."
A short… warm, painful, real silence fell.
From behind, a familiar sarcastic voice was heard:
"Well… a mother-and-son scene that hasn't been legally sanctioned yet."
Bella raised an eyebrow with a side smile:
"Amélie."
Amélie approached, keeping her usual sarcasm:
"If you continue any longer, I'll have to bring tissues."
Jax lifted his head, looked at her, then stuck out his tongue with childish cheekiness:
"You're jealous."
Amélie burst out laughing:
"Jealous of you? Impossible."
Jax moved closer to Bella and said:
"You're competing with me for her attention."
This time, Bella laughed, placing a hand on his head and gesturing with the other to Amélie:
"Calm down… my heart has room for both of you."
Jax breathed deeply, but this time…
He wasn't sad.
He now knew
that some bonds don't need a single home…
nor even constant presence.
---
Outside, the scene resembled more of a media battlefield.
Lenses glimmered, flashes exploded without pause, the photographers' shouts mixed with journalists' calls, everyone vying for the first shot… the headline… the scoop.
The nobles exited one by one from the gates of Versailles, from oldest to youngest, in refined morning attire; no party extravagance, only quiet elegance, calculated, fitting for those who knew the camera showed no mercy.
Luxury cars lined up orderly, drivers opening doors with practiced precision, and the guards carved a strict path through the crowd, pushing journalists back with each attempt to approach.
The gates opened.
Car after car departed.
And the cameras never stopped.
Then-
Bella stepped out.
At that very moment, the rhythm changed.
Flashes accelerated, voices rose, names were almost shouted in unison.
It was the shot they had been waiting for.
Bella noticed immediately.
She smiled.
A bright, warm, innocent smile… the smile of a woman who carried nothing on her shoulders but elegance.
She waved lightly, pausing for a moment at the car door, as if granting them one extra second-a small gift for the cameras.
No one there knew anything.
Except her…
And the few close to her: Amélie and Sebastian.
She leaned slightly, entered the car, and the driver carefully closed the door after ensuring she was seated.
Inside, she was not alone.
Amory was beside her, and in front of them were her cousins' three sons: Alphonse, Benoît, and Marceau.
Marceau broke the silence with a side grin:
"Looks like you're the undisputed star of the place."
The other two nodded in agreement.
Bella let out a short, confident laugh:
"I know."
Alphonse joked:
"At least thank the one giving you praise."
She gave him a theatrical look and said with feigned coldness:
"Why? You're telling the truth… and I already know it."
The four of them burst out laughing, and Bella joined in effortlessly.
After a moment, Amory asked thoughtfully:
"But… what do you think about what happened at the palace? Those crimes… had anything like that happened before?"
Benoît replied calmly:
"Unprecedented. We've never seen anything like this before."
Amory turned to Bella:
"And you, what's your opinion? Did you suspect anyone?"
She answered in a calm, almost indifferent tone:
"I didn't suspect anyone at all. And what happened… doesn't concern me."
No one commented.
The conversations flowed again, light, ordinary… as if nothing had happened.
Bella, for her part, turned her head toward the window.
Versailles was slowly receding.
The walls behind them.
The lenses behind the glass.
The car moved.
And in the reflection of the glass, a mischievous smile appeared on her lips…
A smile that no one saw.
The car continued its journey, swallowing the road ahead quietly.
__________
°•{The End}•°
____________
Well, guys, as you can see, the one-shot ended with a surprise, and I think it was a plot twist. I don't know for sure. Anyway, after this, I'll start posting the second season. I've written the first three episodes of the second season, and they're ready. Now I'll finish the fourth episode. If I'm late, I apologize because I have some other things waiting on me besides writing the novel.
I hope you really enjoyed the novel. There are some main characters who didn't appear in the first season but were only mentioned. They will appear from the first episode of the second season and will stay with you throughout the upcoming seasons because they are key characters, like Lucien and Bella.
De todos modos, ¡adiós!